China's army is modernising but it is untested, says John Blaxland at WION Global Summit

WION Global Summit today decoded China's military and the power of its propaganda machinery. The country has the world’s largest army in active duty. After China comes India, United States, North Korea, and Russia.

Also Read: China's reform plans have stalled, says Dexter Roberts at WION Global Summit

John Blaxland, professor at the Australian National University, speaking the WION Global Summit said: “It (Chinese) is an untested army. It is modernising and employing some of the latest technologies. But, it is an untested one. The last time it was involved in a conflict, it got a very bloody nose”.

China has stepped up its military activity across multiple fronts recently amid the coronavirus pandemic. The country was involved in a border skirmish along the Line of Actual Control(LAC) with India which led to casualties on both sides. China, however, did not reveal the numbers.

There were also tensions in the South China Sea as the United States and India recently undertook joint naval exercises off Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Lawrence Korb, the former Assistant of Secretary Defense, US, stressed the importance of unity against China at WION's Global Summit. 

“Under a more traditional US president, unlike President Trump, we would be working with all our allies to present a united front," Korb said. 

Korb claimed the US president has been too fixated on economic relations which has pushed China's military excesses aside. 

“Trump has mainly been focused on economics with China, ignoring their military push”, Korb claimed.

China’s excesses along the Tibet border and it's heavy policing of the region has also made headlines lately. 

Currently, Tibet’s government-in-exile is based in India’s Himachal Pradesh, and still pushes for the region’s freedom. 

Lt. General (retd) SL Narasimhan, member of the National Security Advisory board of India, said: “The Tibet stand is something that is very sensitive and that is one of the red lines of China. So we need to be extremely careful in dealing with this particular situation.”

With more countries joining hands against China’s military excesses, the global sentiment has become largely anti-China. 

Recently, India banned multiple Chinese apps to protect its national sovereignty, the US, too, is planning to follow suit. The UK recently stripped China’s Huawei of rights to deploy 5G technology in the country and is now considering more local alternatives.